Study Abroad High School in Denmark

Study Abroad in Denmark

Spend a full academic year of high school in Denmark. Attend a local high school and live with a welcoming host family. Explore Denmark’s fairy-tale villages, complete with picturesque castles and colorful town markets. Between your time with your host family and at school, you’ll get the chance to learn Danish though the Danes are, by and large, excellent English speakers. They’ll also be very impressed if you already know a few words in Danish!

Things To Know About Denmark

Bicycles are everywhere; they even have bicycle highways! Danes value their personal space but are very warm once they open up and they love to be cozy and comfortable. The most popular Danish lunch is a traditional open-faced sandwich, called smorrebrod. Nowhere in Denmark is more than an hour away from the seashore, so it’s a perfect place for those who like to go swimming, sailing, or rowing.

70 Years Experience

Eligibility

Graduates Eligible?	Yes, high school graduates are eligible to participate.
Minimum GPA	2.5
Age Range (at program start)	15 years and 6 months to 18 years and 0 months
Language Skills	No language requirement

Based on differences in culture, strict government regulation of medications, and other local customs, it has been our experience that not all of our international AFS partners are able to support students with certain diagnoses, including but not limited to, severe allergies, strict dietary restrictions, ADD/ADHD, and those currently taking or who have taken psychotropic medications and/or received counseling for mental/psychological issues within the past year. If this applies to you, please get in touch with an AFS Study Abroad Specialist early so that we can determine the right experience for you.

Your Journey to Denmark

Visa Information

AFS will provide visa guidance and support documents (if applicable). Visa processes can be lengthy and complex; you may be required to travel long distances to apply for the visa if there is not an embassy, consulate, etc. close to your home. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months beyond a return date from your host country. We urge you to apply for or renew your passport as soon as possible if applying to an AFS program. We recommend not taking any trips (domestically or internationally) within 2 months prior to your AFS program as it may interfere with the visa application process and result in a late program start date.

Travel & Orientation

In the months before your departure, AFSers have the opportunity to participate in various preparatory activities, including an online Student Learning Journey, which is an interactive course that brings AFSers from around the world together to learn how to develop essential global skills, intercultural communication techniques, and practice social impact, maximizing the outcomes of the AFS learning experience.

Also during this time, AFS-USA will coordinate and share your international travel with you.You will need to coordinate your own travel to the point of international departure. From there, your journey in Denmark will begin when you land, where you’ll be met by staff and volunteers…as well as your fellow AFSers from around the world! Shortly after arrival, you will attend an arrival orientation and get a crash course on Danish culture, living with a host family, safety, and support structures.

Your Accommodations

AFS students have lived all over Denmark; you might even experience the adventure of being placed in Greenland or the scenic Faroe Islands, north of Scotland. If you’re placed on the mainland of Denmark it will most likely be in a rural or suburban area. Towns are close together and there is an excellent public transportation system.

Meeting Your Danish Host Family

Families in Denmark are very close and most prefer to cook dinner at home together every night. Danes are very cosmopolitan in their attitudes and lifestyle. Most Danes are well educated so you can assume your host family will place a lot of importance on your education, as well. They’ll probably expect you to be independent and to take care of your homework and help out around the house on your own, like most kids do.

Your High School in Denmark

There are two types of schools that you may be enrolled in. You’ll either be in first or second year of Gymnasium, which is a 3 year college prep school similar to high school, or Folkeskole, which is geared toward 6-16 year olds. School runs from August through June, with breaks in October and at Christmas and Easter. You’ll attend classes Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 3:00PM. Students usually have 5-6 mandatory subjects and 1 or 2 electives like a foreign language, sports, or physics. You’ll also have the opportunity to take Danish language classes throughout the year.

Danish schools and local community organizations also offer a bunch of extracurricular activities, like sports, music, crafts, drama, and scouting.

Daily Life

Teenage Life in Denmark

Teenagers in Denmark spend their time much like teens from anywhere else; they love meeting new people, spending time with friends, going to parties, hanging out at cafes, and going to the movies. Playing sports is also very popular, especially soccer. Many of the cities also have traffic-free walking streets, where kids like to hang out on weekends.

Food You’ll Encounter

Danish food consists of a wide variety of fresh produce, grains, and meats. Dinner is usually the main meal and typically a time for the whole family to gather and talk about their days. Once in a while Danish families will go out to eat at a restaurant, but this is a pretty rare treat. Danish favorites include pickled herring and salted black licorice. Other staples are roast pork, fish, beans, Brussels sprouts, rice pudding, potato soup, meatballs in curry sauce, and pastries.

What’s included

75+ years of experience delivering high-quality programs through a worldwide network of 30,000 dedicated volunteers
Accommodations with a vetted host family
Round-trip international airfare for the designated program dates
School enrollment fees
Worldwide, 24-hour emergency assistance
Access to an in-country support team and network, as well as our Participant Support Department based here in the U.S.
Orientations and intercultural education before and during your program
International secondary medical travel coverage
Visa support and guidance

Inclusion in a worldwide returnee and alumni network of over 1,000,000 people

What’s not included

Domestic travel to your international departure city
Visa and passport fees
Spending money
COVID-19 Tests
Fees imposed by the airlines outside of your international ticket, such as luggage fees.
Additional fees may apply depending on the specific host country. Please email [email protected] for additional details.

We invite you to learn more about where your dollars go, our payment and refund policy, and answers to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Scholarships and Aid

We believe that studying abroad should not be contingent on personal finances. When you apply, we work with you to understand your family’s needs and match you with available scholarships and aid. 100% of accepted applicants with demonstrated need receive funds.

Learn More

Visa Info

Do I need a visa/residence permit for Denmark?	YES. Residence Permit
How do I apply for the visa? (By mail, In-person, In host country)	In-person
Visa/Residence Permit Process Difficulty Level (Easy, Average, Complex)	Average
Estimated Visa/Residence Permit Expenses ($ – $$$)	$$$
Frequently Asked Visa Questions	Visit our general visa FAQ page for more information.

Returning Home

“Life-changing” is hard to describe, yet it’s nearly always the first thing that AFSers say when asked about their experience abroad. “Transformed” is another one. When you return home from your study abroad in Denmark, you’ll bring with you a sense of accomplishment unlike any other. You’ll have gained maturity and independence, discovered new passions, and developed the confidence and resilience to accomplish anything you set out to do.

That transformation isn’t only visible to you, though – others see it as well. AFSers gain critical skills for college and careers. Second language fluency, intercultural competence, creativity, and critical reasoning will help you succeed, whatever path you take. “Life-changing” means it’s only the beginning. It’s not just an adventure abroad; it’s a whole new reality. The perspectives and personal connections you gained will stay with you and likely draw you back to the second home you found in Denmark.

In fact, our alumni reviews have made AFS one of the top-rated organizations in the study abroad industry.

High School in Denmark

Spend a full academic year in the friendly northern country of Denmark, while attending a local high school and living with a welcoming host family. Explore Denmark’s fairy-tale villages, complete with picturesque castles and colorful town markets.